NETGEAR DG824M Wireless ADSL Modem Gateway - wireless router - with NETGEAR ME101 Wireless Ethernet Bridge

...the last firmware release from Netgear (Version 1.4 Release 05). If you don't install this firmware you *will* have problems, particularly with the wireless side of things. After this release however everything was rock solid and I've never had any problems.

It can log connection attempts and various different 'attack attempts' in an internal log file, which can also be set to automatically email you when it is full. The log is not ...
...are sadly absent. Later Netgear models have corrected this deficiency I believe, but not on this one.

As far as reliability of the ADSL goes, I never have had problems with dropping connections on the link, and have been very pleased with performance. Rock solid would be how I'd describe it, although as ever your mileage may vary, as ADSL performance is at the mercy of so many different factors.

This router has been ... more

I know that this is an older piece of kit, but nevertheless I thought my good, reliable old DG824M wireless ADSL router deserved it's own review.

I've now had this router for several years, and it has behaved perfectly throughout the whole time. Although there are now newer, faster, sleeker models available, and I have to say I am tempted by them, I keep coming back to the fact that there's absolutely nothing wrong with the one I've got already, and I really don't need the extra speed for the wireless connection, given that none of my other wireless devices can go any faster than they already are doing!

So on to the router itself. It has an integrated 4 port switch, which means that you can have four devices (PCs, printers) etc., connected directly to the router via standard network cables. This is very good, as I like to minimise the use of the wireless where possible (better for security). However I do use wireless with my laptop and PDA and the wireless can be set to either 64bit or 128bit WEP encryption, but that's as far as it goes. It also has MAC address filtering for added security, and the SSID broadcast can be switched off. I make use of all these facilities, paranoid security freak that I am.

The router is configured via a web interface by using your browser and pointing to the router's default IP address. You can change this address in the settings if you want to, along with all the other LAN related things, such as DHCP server and reserved addresses for particular machines.

The web administrator has a wizard based setup routine that can get your ADSL up and running very quickly. It's really easy to use in it's basic out of the box modes, although again, I like to tinker with things, and you absolutely must install the last firmware release from Netgear (Version 1.4 Release 05). If you don't install this firmware you *will* have problems, particularly with the wireless side of things. After this release however everything was rock solid and I've never had any problems.

It can log connection attempts and various different 'attack attempts' in an internal log file, which can also be set to automatically email you when it is full. The log is not stored if the router is switched off however, and as I switch everything off each night (security and power conscious) I never really see the logs unless there is a problem.

You can set up various firewall rules, including scheduling rules, so that you could block all access to the internet after a certain time at night, with the exception of certain IP addresses - great if you have kids all coming through the router for their internet. It also has web blocking capabilities, although they're limited to simple keyword searches of the web site domain name, so that any website address that includes one of the keywords will be blocked.

The router does support Universal Plug & Play if you install the latest firmware, which means it will work with windows messenger, and allow two way video calls etc, without having to configure anything in the firewall or router itself.

You can see information about the devices currently connected through the router, both wired and wireless, and also record traffic statistics and uptime etc. The settings can also be saved to a file as a backup, in case you every have to reset to factory settings etc. The one thing that is missing here is the ability to see the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) and other line quality statistics. These can be very useful when trying to determine problems with ADSL connections, however on this model they are sadly absent. Later Netgear models have corrected this deficiency I believe, but not on this one.

As far as reliability of the ADSL goes, I never have had problems with dropping connections on the link, and have been very pleased with performance. Rock solid would be how I'd describe it, although as ever your mileage may vary, as ADSL performance is at the mercy of so many different factors.

This router has been in place for years and is still going strong - if you're wanting a reliable router, you can pick these up on auction site these days for not much more that £20-£30, and a real router is so much better than the USB modems that so many ADSL providers give you for free. Heartily recommended. 

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